Love at Last (Last Frontier Lodge #2) (25 page)
Read Love at Last (Last Frontier Lodge #2) Online
Authors: J.H. Croix
At another knock on the window, he turned and tapped the button for it to open a sliver. George’s grin met him. “Hey boss. We’re here.”
“I noticed. Give me a sec, okay?”
At George’s nod, he closed the window and turned back to Becca. She’d firmly planted herself as far away as she could, mashed up against the door with her arms crossed. She stared straight ahead. Her lips were plump and swollen and her cheeks flushed. Her pulse beat rapidly in her neck, her skin illuminated from the lights of George’s car behind them.
She spoke rapidly. “I don’t know what that was, but let’s forget about it. I’m not thinking clearly and you’re not either. How about I hitch a ride back to Seattle with your guys? They won’t mind, right?”
Aidan shook his head. Maybe he hadn’t planned to kiss Becca, but he’d wanted to ever since he’d first laid eyes on her almost ten years ago. Back then, she was a mere twenty-three years old and a very studious law student. He could still recall the first time he saw her. He was on a break between missions with his team. Gage had invited him and another friend, Matt, to a family barbecue. Becca had been seated at a picnic table, her glossy brown hair hiding her face as she studied a book. She was already in her second year in law school. Then, he was a young twenty-eight years old and deep in the swagger of being a Navy SEAL. He hadn’t even noticed her at first, but sat down at the table to rest his knee, which was sore from a fall. Becca had finally looked from her book and pushed her glasses up on her nose. He felt like he’d been punched. She was so damn beautiful, he’d simply stared at her.
After several long moments of silence, Becca’s mouth had curled into a smile. “You must be Aidan,” she’d said. All he’d been able to do was nod. Somehow, he’d regained the ability to speak and carried on a semi-normal conversation with her, all the while reminding himself he couldn’t try to make a play for Gage’s little sister. Not to mention that he wasn’t interested in making a play in a casual way. He’d looked at her—at the gorgeous fall of brown hair, her sharp blue eyes behind her cat-shaped glasses, and her full pink mouth—and he’d wanted to lift her in his arms and carry her away to be with him forever. But he couldn’t do that because he was home between missions. He was already scheduled to leave with his team in a few short days on another classified mission. In the intervening years, she’d gotten engaged and dumped by her fiancée. He’d learned that bitter news from Gage on the mission when their friend Matt had died.
Ten long years later, Aidan finally kissed Becca. Instead of it being planned and carried out meticulously, he’d impulsively kissed her in his car on the side of the road. His heart pounding, he gathered himself and looked at her.
“I won’t forget it, and neither will you. Stop pretending.” Her eyes swung to his, wide and startled. “I didn’t plan it this way, but I’ve wanted to kiss you for too damn long. Don’t pretend you didn’t want it too. I’m going to get out and make sure those guys don’t need anything from me. Then, I’m taking you wherever you need to go. We can talk on the way. Or not. But for God’s sake, don’t act like this was nothing. Because it damn well wasn’t and you know it.”
Becca stared at him and chewed her lip. He thought his heart might pound its way out of his chest, but he forced himself to breathe. He was afraid he’d played his cards too fast, but he’d kept his feelings under wraps for so long, his restraint was weak. When she finally nodded slowly, he let his breath go.
He climbed out into the rain, which soaked him instantly. After checking in with George and Dale and conferring with the towing company on the way, he climbed back in his sedan. Becca turned to him.
“You’re soaked! I don’t imagine you have a towel in here, huh?”
“Actually, I do.” He reached into the back and curled his hand around the handle of a black case, which held first aid and other supplies. A small, highly absorbent towel was tucked in the corner. He whipped it out and dried his face and hair.
Becca started laughing. “Only you would have a case like that. Or maybe Gage,” she said as she rolled her eyes.
“Gage definitely has one. Carryover from our military days.” He tossed the towel into the back seat and eyed her. “Okay, I don’t think we ever got to the part about where you were headed.”
“You can just take me back to Seattle.” Her shoulders hunched on a sigh.
“I’ll take you wherever you need to go. I know you weren’t driving home at midnight.”
“I was on my way to Bellingham to see my parents. I was supposed to go last weekend, but it got too late, so I promised I’d be there this weekend. But now it’s past midnight, it’s pouring and if you take me, I don’t know how I’ll get back home.”
Aidan shrugged. “We’re headed the same place. Did you forget my sister lives in Bellingham?”
She glanced at the clock. “Okay. You sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” He didn’t wait for her to reconsider and put his car in gear and slowly pulled off the side of the highway.
Once they were on the way north, he glanced to the side. Becca was no longer plastered against the door. Her shoulders had relaxed and she leaned back in the passenger seat, curling her feet up under her knees. He elected to keep conversation casual. He sensed if he referenced their kiss or anything he’d said afterwards, she might shut down. The rainy drive passed swiftly. The lights of Bellingham glimmered through the rain. Aidan had been to her parents’ home a number of times, so he made his way there on memory. When he pulled up in the circular drive, he cut his lights and climbed out quickly. Becca wore a rueful smile when he opened the passenger side door.
“You just love opening doors, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “My mother was old-fashioned. She insisted on manners.”
She nodded and climbed out, stretching as she stood. He snagged her bag from the back and walked by her side to the front door. The rain fell around them. Her eyes were tired. He sensed the only reason she wasn’t her usual prickly self with him was she was too tired for it and her defenses were down. A surge of protectiveness washed through him. He hated that ever since her asshole of a fiancée had dumped her two days before the wedding, she’d become bitter and prickly like a cactus if anyone got too close.
She looked up at him, her lashes spiky from the rain. “So…?”
“Can I stop by tomorrow?”
She nodded. He didn’t wait and dipped his head to catch her lips. He wanted more, so much more, than the quick kiss he allowed himself. But somehow he’d managed to bumble his way through his impulsive kiss with her earlier, and he didn’t want to push too far, too fast with her. She was well-defended and with good reason. Her lips were so soft and supple, he almost lost his hold on the thin thread of control he had. He forced himself to step back. “I’ll call you.”
Coming Soon!
Just This Once
(A Last Frontier Lodge Novel)
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Acknowledgements
Yet again, a shout out to my husband who cheers me on, listens to plot ideas and graciously gives me the space and time to write. Many thanks to my editor, Laura Kingsley, for holding me to a high standard. Clarise Tan at CT Cover Creations is responsible for my stunning covers. And my readers: thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support!
Author Biography
Bestselling author J. H. Croix lives in a small town in the historical farmlands of Maine with her husband and two spoiled dogs. Croix writes sexy contemporary romance and steamy paranormal shifter romance with strong independent women and rugged alpha men who aren't afraid to show some emotion. Her love for quirky small-towns and the characters that inhabit them shines through in her writing. Take a walk on the wild side of romance with her bestselling novels!
